Pencil-vending machine



May 18 1926. 1,585,179

J. W. WHIPPLE PENCIL VENDIN'G MACHINE Filed Feb. 19, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet1 May 18 1926.

PPLE

J. W. NH

MACHINE PENCIL VENDIN Fi led Feb glwuentpc Mb/ za w y z Patented May 18,1926.

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PTENT OFFH'IE.

JOHN W. WHIPPLE, OF CUSHING, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOB 0F ONE-HALF T0 JOSEPH V.BAILEY, OF BUSHING, OKLAHOMA.

PENCIL-VENDING MACHINE.

Application filed February This invention relates to vending machines,and particularly to machines for vending pencils and like articles.

The general object of the invention is to provide a very simple andeffective machine for this purpose so constructed that upon the depositof a proper coin a single pencil will be vended.

A further object is to so construct the machine so that the machine willvend two kinds of pencils each upon the deposit of a proper coin.

A still further object is to provide a mechanism of this character whichdoes not require the use of complicated mechanism which is liable to getout of order, and in which the magazines containing the pencils may beshifted out of the outer casing to permit the magazines to be filled.

Other objects have to do with the details of construction andarrangement of parts as will appear more fully hereinafter.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure1 is a perspective view of a pencil vending machine constructed inaccordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional perspeetive view of the machineshowing the interior construction;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view from front to rear;

Figure 4c is a perspective view of the means for supporting themagazines;

Referring to these drawings, designates a casing which is preferablymade of metal, though any other suitable material may be used, one sideof the casing being cut away, as at' 11, to accommodate a money drawer12, this drawer, when closed, being locked to the casing itself by anysuitable locking olevice as, for instance, a padlock passing through thehasp 13. The top of the casing is closed by a lid 14 held locked in anysuit able manner, as by means of a hasp and pad lock, and the back ofthe casing is preferably provided with upwardly extending ears 15whereby the casing may be mounted upon a wall if desired. The bottom ofthe casing is preferably flat so that the casing may also be mountedupon a counter. The front of the casing is provided with a transparentpane 16 and with a discharge slot 17 having a length equal to that of apencil, and extending through this discharge slot is a chute 19, 1925.Serial No. 10,352.

18 formed exteriorly to the front of the case with a pencil-receivingshelf 19.

To one side of the case there is disposed a coin slot 20 and at theopposite side of the case on the front thereof is a coin slot 21. Thecoin slot 20 is for the reception of coins of one denomination and theslot 21 for the reception of coins of another denomination.

Disposed within the casing 10 and supported in any suitable manner, aswill be 05 later described, are the two pencil containers or magazines22 and 23, the bottom of each magazine extending downward to a mediallydisposed, longitudinally extending aperture 24 defined by downwardlyextending side To walls. Disposed below each of the magazines 22 and 23are the pencil vending rollers 25 and 26. These rollers may be made ofwood, metal Or any other suitable material and are mounted upon a yoke27 which is riveted, bolted or otherwise attached to any suitablesupport as, for instance, riveted to the back and end walis of thecasing 10. Each of these rollers is fermed with a. longitudinallyextending groove 27 having a 8 length sufficient to receive a pencil afrom the corresponding magazine when the groove is brought up intocoincidence with the mouth of the magazine. A spring 28 asso ciated witheach roller is attached to the roller and to the wall of the casing orother suitable support and resists any rotation of the roller from aposition with the groove 27 in coincidence with the mouth 24 into adischarging position. no

Each roller has a separate actuating means, and I have shown thisactuating means for each roller as consisting of an operating rod 29extending through the front of the casing and projecting beyond the sameand passing through a small housing 30 which contains the coin controlmechanism. Attached to this operating rod or plunger 29 is a chain orlike flexible element 31, which in turn is attached to the loo roller or26. It will be seen, therefore, that when the plunger 29 is forcedinward, the chain will pull upon the roller and cause the roller torotate against the action of the corresponding spring 28 in a. directionto carry the pencil contained within the groove 27 downward and forwardand discharge it onto the chute '18. This chute 18 extends upwardbeneath the roller 25 and the rear end of the chute approximates theroller 11c :26 so that when either the roller 25 or 26 has rotated to adegree su'liicient to permit the p ncil to drop out, the pencil willdrop out upon the chute 18 and will roll down the same and be depositedin the cup or receiver 19. course, immediately that the pressure uponthe plunger 29 is released, the sprin will act to return the roller AHial position with the groove 27 slots :0 and 91 for the reason thatthere which may be used in conjunction with the plunger and which areupon the luau A .t, aid for the further reason that the par ticular coincontrol mechanism forms no part of my present invention.

The magazines :22 and 23 are removable through the top of the casingupon opening of the lid and the downwardly extending flanges 2-iwhichdefine the mouth of each magazine fit between a pair of supporting irons32 whose extremities are upwardly bent and fastened to the end walls ofthe casing, these supporting irons being preferably connected by cleats33. Thus it will be seen that when the magazine is dis posed in place itis firmly supported by means of this pair of supporting irons engagingthe flanges 2d, but that the magazines may be readily removed, filledwith pencils, and then put back again, this being an easier method offilling the magazines than it it was necessary to leave the magazineswithin the casing and fill them, as this permits an employe to go fromvending machine to vending machine, removing the empty magazine,replacing them with full magazines, and carrying the empties to afilling station.

The operation of my mechanism will be obvious from what has gone before.Preferably the front magazine 22 has a transparent front wall 2 throughwhich the contents of the magazine may be observed, though thisobviously is not entirely necessary. The front magazine preferablycontains pencils which may be ve ded at the price of live cents and uponthe insertion of a nickel in the slot 20 and the arrival of the n el atthe housing 30 the plunger J3 is released and upon being pressed i warddraws, through the chain 31, the roller in countercloclnvise directionuntil the groove 2'? discharges the pencil upon the chute 18, whereuponthe pencil rolls down said chute into the tray 19. As soon as the pencilis discharged upon the tray, which nation may be seen through the glasspane 16, the plunger may be released, whereupon the spring 28 will drawthe roller back to its initial position and a new pencil will drop fromthe magazine into the groove 2?. The same operation, only involving theinsertion 01 a different coin in the slot 21, will secure a pencil fromthe magazine 23 which is designed to contain pencils selling at onecent.

Preferably, though this forms no part 0t my invention, I provide apencil sharpener Ell mounted upon one wall of the casing so that thevended pencils may be sharpened light there and then.

.lt will be seen hat the operating mechanism i pr this vending maehineis very simple and one with which elm t everybody is entirely familiar.The ditlerent parts of the vending machine are very sin'iple and litsnugly so as to make the whole machine compact and yet there is no"friction between the parts.

I claim 1. A pencil vending machine comprising a casing having adischarge slot, a coin receiving slot, a magazine mounted within thecasing and having a hopper-shaped botti'un defining a longitudinallyextending discharge slot, a roller disposed within the cusing below themagazine and having a groove adapted to align with said slot, means foractuating the roller including a plunger, a flexible connection attachedto the plunger and to the roller and adapted thereby to cause therotation of the roller when the plunger is torced inward to therebycarry the slot oi the roller "from a receiving to a discharge positionto discharge the p ncil therefrom, a spring acting to return the rollerto its initial position, and a chute receiving the pencil when it isdischarged ml the roller and discharging it tl'irough the discharge slotof the casing.

52. A vending machine of the character dccribed including a casinghaving a discharge opening and a coin chute opening, a magazine disposedwithin the casing and having a hopper-shaped bottom formed with alongitudinally extending discharge slot, a roller mounted below themagazine and having a longitudinally extending groove CJI llO

adapted to receive a pencil discharged through said slot in themagazine, means for sh'l ting the roller in one direction comprisaplunger, a flexible connection extending from the plunger to the surfaceof the roller and being attached thereto at one point, coin actuatedmeans for preventing the movement of the plunger without theintroduction of a coin into the slot, and a chute upon which the pencilis discharged, the chute extending out through the discharge opening inthe casing and being formed to constitute a tray.

3. A. pencil vending machine including a casing having a door at itstop, a magazine supported within the casing and having a contractedlower end, manually operable means for discharging pencils one by onefrom the magazine, and a supporting means for the magazine attached tothe casing and upon which the magazine rests, the magazine beingvertically movable out of engagement with the supporting means and outthrough the top of the casing, said supporting means including partsembracing the contracted lower end of the magazine.

t. In a vending machine, a casing having a discharge opening, a magazinedisposed within the opening, coin actuated means disposed below themagazine and adapted to receive an article therefrom and discharge itthrough the discharge opening of the casing upon the deposit of a coin,and means for supporting the magazine comprising a pair oflongitudinally extending bars attached at their ends to the walls of thecasing, the

magazine at its lower end having a dischar e. slot defined by downwardlyextending flanges adapted to fit between the longitudinally extendingbars of the magazine.

5. In a vending machine, an outer casing having an article dischargeslot, amagazine disposed Within the casing and having a hopper-shapedbottom formed with a longitudinally extending discharge slot, arolleroperatively supported immediately beneath the magazine and having alongitudinally extending slot coinciding with the slot in the magazine,the surface of the roller closing the slot of the magazine when theroller is turned to carry its groove away from the slot, a springnormally urging the roller into a position with its groove in alignmentwith the discharge slot of the magazine, an actuating plunger extendingthrough the front of the casing, and a chain attached to the plunger andto the roller and acting, when the plunger is forced inward, to rotatethe roller in a direction against the action of said spring.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

JOHN W. VVHIPPLE.

